Affiliations: [a] Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart, Institut für Digitale Ethik, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany | [b] Instituto de Información, Facultad de Información y Comunicación, Universidad de la República, 12000 Montevideo, Uruguay
Abstract: In this paper we present two recent information literacy and access
initiatives in Uruguay and their necessary historical antecedents, and
analyze them from a phenomenological perspective to provide commentary on
current philosophical discussions about information and the digital divide.
To provide historical context we present a brief history of the creation of
a public library, the national library and the public school during the
period of independence wars in 19th-century Uruguay, and the legacy of
educational reforms that followed, which are at the core of the cultural
identity of Uruguay. We then analyze the ambivalent achievements of ``Plan
Ceibal'', a state programme aimed at providing laptops to public schools, and
a bottom-up project called ``Biblioteca Nuevo Roble'' (New Oak Library), a project run by
students of the Institute of Information at Uruguay's State University that
aims at the creation of a school library at Public School No. 230, located
in a low-income quarter of Montevideo. The conclusion analyzes the role of
libraries in improving access to education and information. The paper aims
at a critical understanding of the digital divide by showing what remains
hidden behind theoretical ambitions, dogmatisms, economic interests, and
political projects. Information ethics is at the heart of phenomenology of
information.
Keywords: Philosophy of information, digital divide, school library, Plan Ceibal, Biblioteca Nuevo Roble, Uruguay, public schools, phenomenology, information ethics
